For many, the chance to catch a glimpse of a rare endangered Bengal Tiger is reason enough to travel to India. That chance is what brought me to Ranthambore National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
Ranthambore National Park Safari: Morning Edition
As with all Safaris, the best chance at viewing wildlife is the early morning. Hence, we were met by the Ranthambore Safari Guides at our hotel and loaded onto the Jeep by 6:00 am. After a 10 minute ride into the park, we rolled up to the Jogimahal Gate.
The Ranthambore Fort came fully into display, majestically sitting high up on the mountain ridge.
The Ranthambore Fort
The guide cut the engine to the jeep and gave us a quick rundown of the park, its animals, historical background, and how he intended to try and find a tiger.
Immediately, we came across a Spotted Deer bull stag on as we drove into the park. Seconds later we spotted a troop of tufted Gray Hanuman Langurs. As we approached the first lake, the guide again cut the engine and simply said, “look”. A group of spotted deer was idyllically posing at the edge of the lake. He said, “there’s your picture”.
Spotted Deer Buck
Gray Langur
Spotted Deer
Kingfisher
Further in we drove, and the guide again turned off the car and began to tell the group the different ways we can try and find a tiger. He said sometimes other guides will tip him off, but often the best way was to sit in silence and listen for the alarm calls of the various animals.
A nervous Spotted Deer
Not a minute later, the guide thought he heard an alarm from a Sambar deer. That call was immediately followed by the raspy ‘cough-like’ call of the Langurs – their audible for “tiger”. The guide flicked the ignition on and we were again off.
Sure enough, a large Sambar buck sprinted out of the forest into a clearing. “There!” The guide announced in a yelled whisper while pointing into the trees. “The tiger is there”. We all scrambled to see the tiger through the heavily wooded and sporadically shaded area until one could finally see the unmistakable silhouette of a large tiger walking parallel to the jeep off in the distance.
Can you spot her?
As the cameras fired off in rapid fire succession, something amazing happened. The tiger made a left turn and began walking straight towards the safari caravan. “She’s coming this way! She’s coming this way!”.
Until it happened. She did it. To the elation of those on safari – and the sheer terror and unabated dread of those in the little jeep – the tigress walked right up to the vehicles and posed for the cameras.
Our guide quickly identified her as the Tigress Sundari (or Satara or T-17). Her mother, Machli, was the infamous Queen of Ranthambore and the star of many documentaries.
The New Queen of Ranthambore: The Tigress Sundari (or Satara or T-17)
Sundari gave one last glance and looked straight at me before making her way to the hunt
And just like that, she was off to hunt and lie-in-wait.
After seeing Sundari, the group was on a high. Nothing could really top that experience, so we decided to leave the tiger queen and see if we could spot any more animals.
The Tiger Queen’s Palace
Spotted Deer
A shy Blue Buck
Ranthambore Fort, hunting lodge for the Maharajas
Indian Freshwater Crocodile (on the bank of the lake)
Ranthambore National Park Safari: Afternoon Edition
After lunch and a hike up to the Ranthambore Fort, we returned to the Safari for one last chance at spotting another tiger. This time, we headed north (away from the Fort) to a different, more mountainous part of the park.
Rufous Treepie
Sambar Deer
After driving through some rough road over a steep hill, we made it to a beautiful clearing with several lakes. Sambar Deer were in the lakes feeding in every direction you looked.
The soothing afternoon calm was shattered in an instant with a surprise strike by a crocodile that sent all the Sambar Deer high-tailing it out of the lake.
Having come up tiger-less in the afternoon safari, we made our way back to the exit of the park when we came upon a large caravan of jeeps. The guides spoke to each other and confirmed, someone had seen Sundari chasing another predator out of her territory. Then we saw the culprit: a lone Jackal.
The Indian Golden Jackal
The calm was again violently disrupted by a series of Sundari’s low-base roars. She was close – really close – but just out of view. We waited, but she wasn’t coming out this time. The Jackal made haste and so did we.
Final Thoughts:
Ranthambore was an amazing highlight of my trip to India. I was really lucky and thankful to the animal gods for allowing me to see Sundari so near and close. Ranthambore is a magical place that you should check out if you get the chance.
Cheers!
